Get Set
by CarishTale
Summary: To protect or to save? A choice wherein Danny must choose in order for him to hide from his future. From him. Can he conceal Phantom now that the Titans care for his well being? "People in Jump aren't as dense as the one in Amity." Schizophrenic! Danny
1. How To Be Brave

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

* * *

Jump City was dull.

And nothing in Jump could please Robin.

It was a late afternoon and the sun was almost gone when Robin was interrupted from his fight with a burglar he found minutes ago. Disarming the said burglar with his prized batarang, he wondered if working alone was a good thing indeed. Training with Bruce made him from a complete wimp to a crime-fighting sidekick and Robin was grateful for it but he wanted more, and so by asking Batman if he could work solo in a new city, fighting crime, to enhance his own skills and to work independently.

But now he doubted his choice.

Sure, he was new in the city and didn't know the place hands on but it had been four days already! For four days, Robin had done nothing but to scout around and look for any suspicious looking individual but none caught his eye. It was as if this city knew Robin would be here and prepared itself to look tranquil, even the weather mimicked the tranquillity within the city.

Surely there would have been lesser crimes ongoing…

By the end of Robin's fourth day here in Jump City, he was grateful to have found a burglar that he could easily handle. Said burglar was the one he was currently fighting back to where he should be contained: the prison.

Easy as pie.

Just when he thought that this city he picked was as serene as the sea with only thugs here and there which he could easily handle, he was surprised to see a flash of green light through the sky.

Deciding that the mysterious light was more challenging, or rather, worse than present, Robin left the burglar he was supposed to hand over and went out to where the light was and investigated.

* * *

The streets in the city of Jump were quite disheartening. People passed by each other without much care as they rushed off to wherever they were headed to. Different set of horns coming from the cars were heard as they suffer the heavy traffic.

This is the everyday atmosphere one gets when in Jump City.

Just in front of the infamous Pizza Corner was an Asian restaurant selling varieties of Japanese and Chinese delicacies. Inside, one could see that it was a place perfect for wealthy families for the restaurant itself was coated with gold. Walls painted in gold and showered with red rhinestones that would probably cost thousands, a huge Koi pond encircled by glass tables and chairs that were obviously occupied with individuals and a grand chandelier at the middle completing the restaurant's fancy ambience.

One of its finest waiters was a sixteen year old boy with an unruly raven hair and tired ice blue eyes to complete his look. His skin was so pale that his veins started to show its blue hue. Simply looking at the boy, one would easily pass him off as sick which got some concerns from the customers that few even question the manager on why a restaurant so extravagant would hire a sickly boy who was clearly in need of attendance.

The manager's all-knowing smile was the only reply every time a costumer asked.

"Danny?" said manager looked for his young charge as he entered the kitchen. Inside, the sound of knifes greeted the manager and hot steam rolled around the room as the chef briskly opened the oven and brought out a large bowl of noodles. It was ready to serve.

"Yes sir?" asked a timid voice coming from the said waiter as Danny grabbed a tray and put the bowl of noodles on, lifted it like a professional waiter.

"Leave that." The manager chuckled softly, "My costumers will not like it when they see you like this."

Danny, almost opening the door separating the kitchen and the costumers, asked. "What? What's wrong with me?"

Taking a step forward, the manager advanced to where Danny was standing still. "Haven't you looked at the mirror lately?" He took the tray from Danny's hand and said and winked. "You look like a ghost."

Scoffing, Danny sighed, "Fine." Not a second longer, he smiled, "Guess, I'll just take my leave then?"

His manager didn't reply but just shrugged and proceeded to deliver the now cold noodles.

_Danny didn't mind the cold. In fact, he kind of needed it. As he pushed himself to fly faster, away from his home, he tried to forget that look Jazz had when he almost attacked her, he didn't even know what caused him to do that. _

_Jazz was only trying to help him and he knew that she being a psychologist and all but with the delusions he'd been having, Danny wasn't even sure what to believe between reality and dreams anymore. But, he was sure in this one thing, he must leave his family behind to keep them safe. _

_And so he flew. The winds picking up, making his neon green eyes tear up and his white hair flutter. Behind him, was Amity Park getting smaller and smaller as he flew. _

_With a heavy heart, Danny almost regretted leaving Jazz without an explanation. Almost. However, reminding himself that with the lesser knowledge she had, she together with his parents would be fine. _

"…**but if you attempt to assist her, your destruction will be absolute.**"

Danny was welcomed into reality when a deep and unnatural voice threatened someone. From his past experience, Danny immediately knew that kind of voice means nothing but trouble. How long had he been musing over that certain memory anyways? Shaking his head off, he found himself in an alley near the Arcade, or what was left of the Arcade. There were trash and ruined cars littered around the empty streets of Jump.

"_Well, this is the first…"_

For many months Danny had been living in Jump, he had never encountered, or thought, that Jump City would attract aliens of some sort. Well, there, in the middle of the street are a group of teenagers. Five of them to be exact and the two of looked…different.

His eyes scanned over the other three, those two girls seem normal apart from their skin colour but the other guy… Danny's eyes widen when he caught the sight of the insignia and the mask the boy wore.

'_Why is Robin here?!' _

He couldn't be here! Danny was here in Jump first! This was his city.

Clutching his hair, Danny let out a cry of frustration when he realized what he was thinking. Jump was not his city; he was just here to stay, to hide. People in Jump aren't as dense as the ones in Amity Park; many would easily suspect him as Phantom due to the same facial features but with altered hair and eye colour.

'_Come on Danny, you're a hero! You can't just let this city destroyed can you?' _

But then again, no one would see him beside those five. And… in that said group of five, one of them was Robin. Danny would be lying to himself if he disagreed with the fact that Robin was a great detective.

Danny heaved a heavy sigh. He won't let those voices get on him easily.

'_That is so not cool Danny!' _

"Tucker?" Danny asked as looked around the alley. He was sure he'd heard Tucker's voice but…

A loud booming crash was heard disrupting Danny from his current thoughts. Some fish like muscular aliens had arrived carrying a spear and were now causing havoc once again.

'_Running away?' _

Danny gulped. He wanted to help them; on the other hand, if he did, he feared that his identity would be revealed and _he_ would come.

Taking his eyes off from the scene, he turned around and left. Ignoring the voices as well as the sounds of chaos in the streets, Danny tried to focus on one thing, his personal mission.

"_If hiding was the only way to get _him _to leave my family alone, well then, I would."_

* * *

**Hi guys:) ****Hmm..I this is my first time writing a long shot story... Well yeah, ****I know that my grammar sucks and I'm not that really good in English and stuffs...but I'll try. **

**If you haven't read my story 'Schizophrenia' then I suggest you read it, but if you don't want to that's fine. It's just that, 'Schizophrenia' is a somewhat prologue for this fanfic. I think you would understand this better if you read that first. ^^**

**Also, I don't update regularly hehe~ I'm a very lazy guy who'd rather sleep than do anything. **


	2. Erase Myself

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Sad.**

* * *

It was said that sunset was only loved by the saddest of people. Many find it depressing since it signifies the end of the day, where night will reign and sleep will triumph. For Robin, the night was his sanctuary. He'd protect the ones resting and fight the wicked.

He's a hero, that's what he always does.

Watching the sun set over the horizon was the least of Robin's priorities. He had been standing on the roof top for hours scrutinizing the orange and purple tones the sun made.

Two days after the defeat of some alien lord, who decided to terrorize Jump, there hadn't been any crimes as of late. The city of Jump was peaceful once again.

'_Well, look on the bright side.' _

Ever since that eventful day, Robin got acquainted with some…interesting individuals. There he met Starfire, a beautiful alien wrecking havoc almost destroying Pizza Corner by means of her brute strength. It was later when he got informed that Starfire was rather a prison against at her own will and decided to save her by all means.

'_Psh…Doom Patrol.'_

How could Robin forget that day? He knew he had tons of fans and they called him thousands of names but 'sir'? Of all things, he was sure that he didn't look that old. During the earlier fight, Robin was saved by Beastboy, who was wearing a mask to 'protect' his identity. He was annoying at first but he was good. Yeah, good.

That tall and buff guy who joined in their brawl exclaiming,_ 'Who's messing up the neighbourhood yo!' _was their current engineer. He remembered him wearing a black sweater to hide his appearance. At first, Robin thought he was just like Beastboy, however, the moment Cyborg revealed what was it he was hiding, Robin could sense a dark past behind it.

Then there was Raven, the shy and pacifist. She was the reason Robin got his first kiss. Not that he regretted it. By raising a black force field to separate them and Starfire, he took his chance free her from those blasted shackles. And… well yeah.

Robin could only sigh during that day; because of the disaster he now had a team. He didn't plan all of this to happen but it seemed as though they were destined for it.

Just yesterday, he was shocked when Cyborg invited all of them here, near the cliff. Although, what got his shock intensified was the big 'T' tower standing in front of them and Cyborg grinning like a mad man and exclaiming, _"To my fellow Titans! Welcome to our new home!" _

Robin shook his head and chuckled lightly, _'I won't be working alone from now on.'_

* * *

Danny was once again allowed to leave earlier. His manager got worried when he showed up yesterday saying he looked like some zombie from a Hollywood movie, as a result, instead of being a waiter he got to be the dishwasher for now until he regain his health.

But seriously, Danny was fine… just tired. And so he will rest, here in the park, for now.

He was currently seated on one of the park's many benches. Since it was almost night, most decided to go back to their homes apart from some tourist who settled on watching Jump's infamous sunsets.

"Orange for carrots, because carrots are vegetables." Danny nodded; his dull blue eyes were solely focused on the retreating sun. "And she likes vegetables."

Sunsets in Jump were on of a kind. Unlike in some countries, this plain event would catch most people's eye because it was simply breath-taking. The former yellow rays of the sun were turned ceremoniously to orange that gives off a dim lighting on some parts of the sea. As the sea darken, the clouds would eventually change from blue to soft purple with a hint of gold.

Watching it was a good way to forget about anything.

Just by observing the sun's hue made Danny reminisce his time with her. He remembered her clearly, like the first time he met her when they were kids.

"Purple, just like Sam's eyes." It's not only her eyes that were purple but also her lipstick, her ponytail, and that black shirt of hers with an oval as a design. All things purple made him remember and it hurts.

"Can't be with her, can't be with them." He whispered, closing his eyes to prevent his tears from falling.

This was his new life now. He chose it, and in order not to break down he must, "Forget." Disregard all his memories about his previous life.

'_But Danny, is this really what you want?'_

'_Dude you can't what 'bout me!' _

Danny was too interested in the view, or rather, too focused on ignoring all those voices in his head that he failed to notice a black cat taking the vacant seat near him.

Unfortunately, he failed to notice a person wearing a blue cloak watching him as well. Said person was quite bothered about his present situation.

"_I'm an ultra-recyclo-vegeterian." Said Sam who gazed at her tray with disgust, she doesn't eat anything with a face unlike her friend._

_Voraciously devouring his lunch, with no care in the world if he looked like a starving street child who received a burger, Tucker replied. "It's no wonder you're skinny."_

"_Care to say that again?" _

"Meow."

A soft mewl broke Danny from his trance. Glancing to his right with clouded eyes, a cat covered in black fur was sitting beside with such content. He stared passively at the cat as it cleaned its fur, wondering just why on earth this feline chose to linger near him. Aren't cats supposed to avoid humans?

Speaking of cats, they're animals. Normally, animals would be hissing in fright at the presence of some supernatural being. Namely him.

Once the cat stopped licking its paw, both were unblinking as they gazed passed into each other's eyes. Baby blue eyes that stared at those yellow orbs, one was curious whilst the former was uncertain.

It was for a moment before Danny stated, "Sam likes cats." The stare off between the two was broken as he scratched its head. Surprisingly for Danny, this stray cat had a soft fur.

He began to pick the cat, chuckling as it made no protest.

It was getting dark and the lights stationed at the street were turned on causing an ominous glow in some parts of the park. Those tourists awhile ago were gone at this moment and it was only Danny, plus the cat, which was here.

It was eerie, quite frightening but nonetheless, it was serene.

The winds picked up and started to thrash on the trees branches creating a rain of dry leaves. Hiding behind one of those trees was a person who had been here in the park for a few days now. Just reading and observing, the usual things to do being new in Jump.

"You know, if you keep on talking by yourself people will consider you insane." A mellow voice coming from the person behind a tree stated as it addressed Danny with faint concern.

Unfazed by the sudden call, Danny carried the cat in front of him, examining it as if there was off about it. "You could talk, huh cat?

The person sighed, deciding that hiding was enough, she revealed herself from her hiding spot. She was wearing a blue cloak that shrouded her entire physique including her face apart from her mouth and chin.

A chilly breeze was sent to her making her cloak billow showing off her dark blue leotard and her red and gold belt around her waist.

Danny, who was still holding the cat in the same position, was observing the presence behind him. She was a bit dark and strange, somewhat mysterious…

"Odd..." Danny mumbled, he put the cat down ignoring its questioning mewls as he stood up and faced the stranger.

Seeing her face to face was… uncanny. Danny had never seen anyone with gray skin, much less be bothered by the chill especially with her choice of outfit.

"Hi!" Forcing a smile, Danny greeted the girl. "My name's Danny, what's yours?"

Gazing through Danny's appearance, Raven noticed how pale this guy was before acknowledging him, "Raven."

Being an Empath made her realize a little bit late that this guy was faking it. Earlier, she felt his fluctuating mental state. That got her attention easily and settled on sensing his emotions. A big mistake.

Once she sensed it, Raven was thrown away full force by the despair Danny was forcing to conceal. It was a wave of emotions: sadness, regret, anger. There was something else but she couldn't figure it out due to the fact that she was busy trying to breathe.

Facing Danny was different from what Raven thought. Unlike most people in this kind of distress, they would be too bothered to act calm instead; they'd involuntarily release all their harboured misery on the first thing they saw.

She was all prepared to defend herself in case Danny concluded to throw a bench at her for disrupting his moment.

"So Raven! What brought you here?" Said Danny cheerfully with a hint of suspect.

"Nothing." Raven replied.

"Oh-kay." Scrathing the back of his head, Danny bid his farewell awkwardly, "I guess, this is goodbye for now. Bye!"

'_Wait, I want to know.'_

Instead of saying her statement out loud, she kept her mouth in a tight line, nodding at Danny in acknowledgement. She doesn't want to say anything else, afraid that she would awaken the emotions concealed within the chambers of his heart.

Watching Danny run away was the only thing she could do. Raven was just a stranger he met this evening, nothing special however she couldn't keep her feelings about him. It was as if he was in need of a help. Badly.

The communicator on her belt went off signalling her presence was needed. This was the very first time she would be fighting with her team, officially.

* * *

**Hi~ hehehe. **

**My grammar is not that good, I'm so sorry for that. I'm a lousy author who wouldn't proof read it because... meh, for no reason, I just don't feel like it :)**

**Hey, still reading my A/N? If yes, there's something I'd like to say, it's about this disorder 'Schizophrenia'. I'm not a psychologist who could professionally distinguish one disorder to another yeah and yeah but I just observed it with my friend's action and sudden change of personality. And before you'd asked, she's Schizophrenic. **

**Oh, there's one more thing I'd like to say \OuO/ I would like to thank all those who reviewed and enjoyed this story of mine so far. Hehe~ May your dreams be blessed with rainbow unicorns and candies. **


	3. Dead Wrong

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Sad life. **

* * *

Jump City's open field was transformed from a simple park to an entertaining carnival. Multicoloured lights decorated the streets giving off the impression of a lively environment, it served as great view for the photographers around. Music was blaring on different parts of the park, while loud enough to be considered deafening; it didn't stop the crowd from enjoying their time here. They didn't care at all. Children running from everywhere, scattered around the carnival chasing their friends while the old taking a rest from all this merriment, sat on the benches relaxing their tired feet. Some people were on the line for the rides especially the Ferris wheel whereas some were enjoying their time playing on the booths.

The jollity of the area was cut short when a shrill whistle was perceived by everyone. The people looked up only to see a giant explosion. It was then followed by a loud burst of a yellow and pink fire. Just before the fire would dissipate, a dozen of fireworks were lit making it zoom towards the sky like a rocket with different set of colours.

Fireworks display greeted the evening of the Fourth of July together with the chorus of cheers from the crowd. All in all, it was a blissful time to relax and take pleasure in this wonderful atmosphere.

Sitting on the same bench Danny sat on the other day, he attentively observed the crowd around him, feeling rather jealous of the company they were getting. Many were in groups of seven or six, some were duos and only a number were trios.

Danny would have been lying to himself if he didn't miss his friends' presence around him. Sure, he remembered them from time to time, their jokes, their conversations, their fights…everything! That was why he was currently eyeing a certain trio lounging beside a tree far from him. He can imagine himself, together with Sam and Tucker, beside that tree chatting about schoolwork and how today was a great day indeed.

Danny leaned on the bench and sighed, it was as if the burden he was carrying was too much for his lithe frame.

"Meow…"

Danny perked up at the familiar mewl. He looked down only to find that black cat from the other day, its yellow eyes shining bright mirroring the colours of the fireworks on the sky.

"Oh hello there cat." Danny replied with uncertainty, had the cat been following him around? Danny was sure there was no one who stalked him. With his heightened senses, he can recognize anyone within a mile radius.

But then again, Danny was too focused on restraining those voices in his head that maybe he didn't notice this cat following him?

Picking up the said cat, Danny began scratching its head causing it to purr with content. He'd never been a big fan of cats. Cats were always a mystery to him. They would always act like they were the master of the house not the other way around. In all honesty, Danny preferred dogs instead of any feline the world could offer.

'_She like cats!' _

'_I shall keep it.'_

'_But Danny! Think…'_

'_Oh who cares!'_

'…_someone must've own it.'_

'_It's black! She likes black!'_

'_Look, have you noticed any collar?'_

'…_no but…'_

'_See! Can I please keep it now?' _

A piercing shriek proceeded by a set of noises disrupted Danny from his internal dispute. The crowd from before was now in an array of mess running from all different directions away from… something. Something was happening in the rides area and from the looks of it, it seemed bad.

'_Would you look at that!'_

'_It's like what always happen in Amity!'_

Confusion immediately clouded Danny's vision like a fog. His senses were tingling, screaming, indicating that they need help…

"No!" Clutching his head, tears began to form on his eyelids causing him to blink it away. Like what always happen in Amity, he knew that there was a problem within the area and they needed a hero.

He can't be the hero. He won't be the hero.

Gasping heavily, Danny started to listen at his heartbeat. It was, without doubt, strong. Being a half-ghost made him have a slow-paced heartbeat than normal; nonetheless its function was still the same. But now it was beating for one thing, his _obsession. To protect. _It made him feel conflicted. Danny was here for a reason. And that reason was to stay hidden no matter what.

"I can't, I can't, I can't!"

"Can't what?" A girl wearing silver and purple armour asked Danny with such arrogance, she was standing a few feet in front of Danny's distressed figure, sizing him up.

Danny looked up to see her staring at him with a raised eyebrow; a hand was placed on her hips making her look like she was demanding Danny to answer her question.

"Aww… don't cry you big baby." The girl cooed teasingly resulting in making Danny glare at her. "I'm sure your mommy would come looking for you."

'_How dare you!'_

The glare Danny sent her was unwavering; it made the girl step back a bit due to the tension in his cold blue eyes. It was as if the air around mimicked the mood of the boy that the temperature dropped to an extent.

"What do you want?" He asked.

Regaining her position, the girl spoke as she waved her hand as if to dismiss it, "Oh nothing. Just tell me where the Titans are."

Danny's glare was immediately replaced by an unreadable expression. It was as if his eyes were suddenly staring unto nothing, all glazed and clouded like a man in deep thought.

"You'd find the Titan's tower somewhere near a cliff." He robotically replied, unblinking which caused the girl to be disturbed. "It's hard to miss. It's huge and 'T'."

"Okay…" The girl crossed her arms and harrumphed, "Tch. Something's wrong with you cutie~ lighten up a bit!" Wasting no time, the girl in armour walked away from him before speeding up in the sky.

There were no stars this evening. The park was quiet once again and Danny could only sigh in relief. Those boisterous music and explosions were a pain to his sensitive ears and now he was thankful, he was left alone in solitude.

The cat beside him purred as it began to rub its head onto Danny's arm. He was content with the silence that he forgot the cat he met the other day and recently, this evening. He seemed to be forgetting a lot of things these days. As a result, he jerked his arm away in surprise making the cat jump. "You're still here?"

Tilting its head to the side as if to ask Danny a question, it mewled, "Meow?"

"Do you have a name huh cat?" Danny asked, "Well, if you don't have one I could name you!"

Eager to name the said cat, Danny instantly picked up the cat and started on rubbing its ears, "You know, it's kind of lonely in my apartment…"

The cat did nothing but to purr in reply, "You could live there if you want."

Standing up, Danny decided to leave the park and head home. It was very late and the park was in mess. Litters of paper were everywhere due to the disturbance minutes ago. Danny could still see the Ferris wheel and its bright lights; he doubted there'd be anybody here apart from him in this place.

"I don't really know what to call you…" Picking up his pace, Danny jogged avoiding the pieces of trash in his way, "…I could call you July since I found you on July 2nd."

"Nah…" Laughing out loud, Danny was almost out of the park. He could already see those skyscrapers and its huge billboards. "Or I could call you Sam or Sammy."

Once Danny was on the streets, his laugher was reduced. He begun to chuckle dropping the cat in the process as he bent over to hug his aching stomach. "Nah, she hates that name."

Regaining his composure, he inhaled heavily as he started to walk with the cat in tow. "Sam it is then."

* * *

The doors were pushed open with such force that its hinges went loose. Small webs of cracks could be seen on the wall as the door was slammed making the music stop. Standing before the crowd of the disco was a girl with black hair and matching armour, she seemed to be the one who caused the rather dramatic entrance that it made the crowd tense in fright.

"Move aside earthlings! Tamaran queen Blackfire is here!" The girl in armour, now known as Blackfire, exclaimed with a laugh as she cat-walked condescendingly past the crowd with the Titans following her from behind.

The foreboding atmosphere was soon replaced with wild cheers and blazing neon lights. Heavy music flowed from everywhere in the room that it made it look like the disco was entirely shaking. In all truth, it was all too loud for Raven's liking. Her ears were not accustomed to this kind of ambience. It was rather chaotic in her opinion.

Grimacing, she took a seat far from the speakers. This was not what she expected.

At a considerable distance away from the Dark Titan was Starfire. Unlike her sister, Starfire stood awkwardly on the sidelines feeling rather desperate for a companion. She saw Robin under the bright ray of neon lights dancing with Blackfire. Both were in the center of the stage, enjoying their time.

Jealous of their current position, Starfire immediately went out to look for Cyborg. Her green eyes scanned for her half-cybernetic friend among the horde of teenagers dancing and drinking. He wasn't that difficult to find due to his massive body mass, but what Starfire found made her more depressed. At the corner near the bar was Cyborg, surrounded by a group of people who seem to be interested with tech, laughing and eating some triangle-shaped salty food. Their bursts of laughter were lost amongst the deafening rock song being played. It was beginning to irritate her.

Sitting close to Cyborg were Beastboy and a blonde girl who looked more aggravated than annoyed with his lame pick-up lines. He looked quite embarrassed that his green skin face was hinted with pink.

Heading towards the pair with anticipated pace, Starfire fretfully avoided obstacles such as chairs and drunken people dancing around. Thankfully, she managed to reach her destination with ease.

"Friend Beastboy? May I partake with this delightful conversation you and your partner were having?"

The blonde girl Beastboy was talking with raised an eyebrow appearing livid whether it was about Starfire's naivety or Beastboy's lame jokes.

"You know what? You can have him." The blonde girl hissed before leaving the two of them making Beastboy's ears fall flat.

"Hey Star? Have you seen Blackfire around?" His once dejected expression was immediately dismissed as he looked for his friend's gorgeous sister with excitement.

Hurt instantly flashed on Starfire's eyes when she caught the name of her sister. She'd been ignored in favour of her sister lately that it made her chest swell with envy. She felt as if she had been a nuisance in the team due to her sister being a better warrior than her.

Clutching the necklace she was wearing, she begun to ponder about it. Blackfire presented her little sister a piece of priceless diamond from the Centaury Moon; it was definitely an act of love because her sister chose to give it to Starfire instead of possessing it.

"She is with Robin." Starfire whispered solemnly as she sauntered away leaving Beastboy and her friends in the disco.

Pursing her lips together, she forced herself to compel her tears from escaping her eyes. She didn't want her friends, especially her sister, to see her looking like this. They were having so much fun, all that games and jests they shared yesterday when they met Blackfire just after the Day of Independence. Today was not different, every one of Starfire's friends loved her sister's company and she can't help it but to feel forgotten and left alone.

A wave of chilly evening air hit Starfire when she pushed open the door leading outside. Tonight, the mood around the City of Jump was unpleasantly cold; it wasn't like the day when she first arrived here in this city.

With nothing in mind, Starfire leisurely paced around the streets trying to forget about her sister. She was in deep trance, too focused to erase all those jealousy built up in her heart. Blackfire was her sister, her family, and she loved her so.

She thought about her time with the Titans. Friendly was a one way to describe them, thought, they were better than that in Starfire's opinion. They welcomed her with open arms when she nearly destroyed the Arcade and brought an army of aliens chasing her. The Titans were more than friendly, they were _nice._

Wandering aimlessly along the idle highway with nothing but streetlights to illuminate her way, Starfire was abruptly shaken back to reality when she heard an ear-splitting screech.

A car about the size of a family truck skidded to a halt making the tires smoke at the sudden force on the road. Its windshield was just a meter in front of Starfire glaring as the glow of eyes reflected against its tainted glass.

"Ge rout of the way missy!" A rough voice called her as the side window of the car slid down only to show a middle aged man chewing a toothpick, "Do ye want to die!"

Blinking away any trace of her daze, Starfire stammered, "I- I apologise. I do not plan to depart this life as of tonight."

"Then ge rout! Ye blocking ma way!" Without a second of delay, Starfire sidestepped to give way to the passing car. This was her first encounter with people with rude attitude here in Jump.

Starfire exhaled softly. She felt like a trespasser intruding a private property.

"Why so lonely?" Turning her head to the direction of the voice, she was slightly amused at the sight she saw. A boy, maybe about her age, with baby blue eyes and black hair was staring at her at the alley. His body was hidden behind the rear of a dumpster and only his face was shown. It appeared that it was as if he was peeking.

Approaching the boy with a smile of her face, Starfire replied, "I am not lonely."

Once she reached the alley where the boy was hiding near the dumpster, shock and sadness flooded her emotions. The boy was wearing nothing but a ragged navy blue sweater that seemed like it was not washed for weeks and tattered pants that lost its colour due to time.

Realization hit her like the car moments ago, maybe this boy was homeless. Inside the sweater the boy was wearing was a black cat. It was sleeping peacefully without any care in the world.

"Liar." The boy scowled. "You were near in tears and alone."

"I am not alone, stranger. I have friends." Starfire smiled bitterly. She remembered her friends spending their time with her sister making her look like a friendless little girl.

"Being alone and lonely are two different things. You can be surrounded with thousands of people while feeling lonely. You can be with your friends and family feeling alone." The boy said while gazing at Starfire's green orbs.

Remembering her time with her friends and sister at the disco, she began understand what the boy meant to say.

Taking the sit in front of the boy, she introduced herself, "My name is Starfire."

"What a weird name." Danny replied making the cat on his sweater mewl, "Mine is Danny."

"Hello there, friend Danny!" Starfire exclaimed excited as she made a new friend for this day.

Ignoring the sudden greeting, he shyly stared at her with a frown on his face, "I'm no psychiatrist but it helps when you share your problems with someone."

Receiving nothing in reply, Danny immediately shook his head, "I didn't mean it! I mean, not 'someone' as in me."

"It's fine friend Danny. Seeing as I am with no one else, it is true that I seek companionship since…I am..." She replied as her defences crumbled making her sigh heavily, "…feeling quite lonely."

"Look Sam, her hair is just like Jazz's." Danny whispered causing Starfire to frown slightly. She doesn't know who Danny was talking to. Apart from her, there's no one around.

"W-what?" Concern was evident on Starfire's bright green eyes as she stared curiously at Danny, "Are you well friend Danny?"

'_Her eyes are unusual.'_

'_What did you get yourself into man?! She's drop dead gorgeous!'_

'_Wait, isn't she the alien girl from space?'_

"Friend Danny?" Starfire brought her hands in front of Danny's face as if to test his sight. She began waving it furiously it front of him to catch his attention but sadly, nothing had happened.

Unblinking, Danny whispered in a very mellow tone, "I have a sister who looks like you."

Starfire was anxious. One second he appeared to be all shy and withdrawn, the next he was sudden irritated as if her simple greeting annoyed him greatly, and now his face showed nothing but sadness as if he was reminiscing something very important to him.

"Is that so? I have a sister too, and she is the complete opposite of me."

"Huh?"

Nodding, she continued, "She is the epitome of perfection. She is beautiful, intelligent and tough. A better warrior than I…" Smiling dejectedly as she hugged her knees, Starfire couldn't help but to compare herself to her big sister. Blackfire was the gifted one and the strong one in the family.

Still in his current state, Danny replied without batting an eye, "No one's perfect."

"She is and she will always be."

"Is she the reason why you're here all alone?"

To say that Starfire was surprised with Danny's statement was nothing compared to what she felt. She was beyond shocked with his question that it made her emotions running wild. Was it a coincidence that Danny somewhat knew about her sister? No.

"_Is that the reason why I envy her?" _Is Starfire really blaming her sister with her current state she was in?

"If yes then she's not really a good person like the one you described, so don't go comparing yourself with her or someone because I'm pretty sure you won't go anywhere with that attitude." Danny said as he started to cackle, "Sisters are supposed to make you feel better. That's their job, to love you and protect you."

"Like I said, no one is perfect…"

Raising her eyebrows as she worriedly observed her friend's face, "What caused you to laugh friend Danny?"

Starfire noticed that there are black circles around his eyes; it was as if Danny hadn't been getting any sleep lately. From what Starfire understood, pale skin with a tinged of blue showing off his veins was not a sign of a healthy person.

"Oh nothing, I'm just tired. It's like all my desires to get up and walk home left me. Maybe that's why I've been here…" Danny emotionlessly said, "…I don't really know."

Home? So Danny was not an orphan, that was good.

A moment of silence had passed; nothing could be perceived other than the cat's soft breathing and the continuous patter of the water from the pipes.

Starfire couldn't help but to feel uncomfortable, sitting in front was her new friend who kept on having odd behaviours. Danny was an anomaly to her that was for sure. His constant change of attitude towards everything was bothering Starfire to no end, she was positive that Danny was not at all fine.

Her musings was caught to a stop as she saw Danny's eyes widen. A booming collision was heard from behind sending tendrils of smoke and few chunks of stones to their direction.

A swift gasp escaped Danny's mouth as pink tentacle-like arms charged at Starfire with an exceptional speed that she hadn't had the chance to inspect the source of the crash. She was tightly wrapped around the waist by an alien squid probe with four pink tentacles. This was the same probe yesterday; it assaulted her at the park together with its friends.

"_Where are the others?" _Her hands glowed bright green showcasing her power as she began firing starbolts at the assaulter creating a loud boom. Large pieces of metal were scattered around as the smoke dissipated. A soon as she dealt with the first one, three more squid probes showed up. Something was wrong about this, attacking someone for no reason was one.

Grabbing hold of one of its arms, she started to pull it with such force that the alien probe had nothing to do but to be pulled along resulting in its destruction as Starfire slammed her fist atop of its head. Starfire began charging up her starbolts once again and attempted to obliterate the other two by launching aggressive and continuous blasts. It was unfortunate for her that the first alien probe escaped its impending doom whilst the second was hit dead on that an explosion was created. It seemed to be targeting her only, which was good. At least Danny won't be in danger.

Speaking of Danny, Starfire was busy attempting not to be caught by the aliens' tentacle arms that she had forgotten about her friend. Catching a glimpse of her friend hiding near the dumpster, her heighten sight saw that Danny was shivering whether in disbelief or in panic. He was cradling his knees, frozen at the scene that just happened.

It hurt Starfire to see her new friend in such state. He was sick. Starfire came in to a conclusion that Danny was not well due to his demeanour. It only worsened his condition when those probes assaulted her. Now she was mad.

Eight more squid probes flew in her direction, as she readied her starbolts. It was heated in great intensity that it assailed two of the probes in one strike causing a bigger explosion than before.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a violet beam heading straight to the alien probe near the dumpster.

"Careful!" Starfire cried with alarm evident on her bright green eyes. Her sister's energy beam was almost close to where Danny was hiding.

Heeding no amount of attention to Starfire cry, Blackfire continued to fire an intense beam of violet energy through her eyes as it destroyed the remaining probes in the matter of seconds. As the smoke cleared, pieces of metal were unseen as the probes were easily obliterated due to that powerful energy Blackfire had.

"Way to go Blazin' B!" Beastboy cheered as he shifted from a Pterodactyl back to his human form.

"That was amazing not to mention fast!" Cyborg agreed as he applauded Blackfire with a goofy grin on his face.

Starfire couldn't care anymore for her sister; all she had in her mind was Danny. He was trying to stand up with the support of the dumpster. To the naked eye, one ought to view Danny as fine but Starfire had stronger vision than anyone. She could clearly see that her friend was shaken badly. Beads of sweat were collected on his forehead, his eyebrows were scrunched together and his wide unblinking eyes that were once filled with exhaustion were now glassy as if he was dead.

Feeling rather worried, Starfire inched closer to her friend and tried to console him, "Is everything alright, friend Danny?"

With her question asked, cheers coming from her friends were put to stop as the Titans curiously stared at pair. Both Raven and Blackfire immediately recognized the guy from their earlier encounter. Beastboy with his ear perked up in eagerness, Cyborg scratching his metal arm in unease and Robin in suspicion made the three of them wonder who the guy was.

Raven was once again sensing Danny's distress. For a second time around, Raven felt the fluctuating emotions Danny was having, she was positively sure that his mental condition was by now, conflicted.

Blackfire doesn't care. The guy was cute she could see but too uptight for her liking. She watched as her sister talk soothing words to the guy as if he was a baby.

"I- I'll just…" Danny stammered as he avoided Starfire's concern gaze, "…go home…"

"Would you want me to take you to your home?" Danny patted his cat as it purred. It was still safe on his sweater pocket. He tried to ignore Starfire's offer and headed to the streets, where the Titans are.

"But-"

"I'M FINE!" Danny snapped. One could see his laboured breathing and fury in his eyes as he glared at Starfire. But as soon as he shouted at her, regret instantly surfaced as he backed away from her, "…sorry."

With that, Danny did nothing but to run as fast as his human legs could carry him. He zoomed past the Titans paying no attention to every one of them especially Robin and Raven. The former wearing a frown on his face, quite intrigued and mad about his attitude whilst the latter having no emotion drawn on her features was alarmed by the sudden wave of strong sentiment she sensed.

Watching her friend leave, Starfire doesn't understand why Danny would not accept her offer. She was only trying to help.

* * *

"Prepare to leave. We have the girl."

"Starfire!"

Robin was running as he leapt into action. Those red aliens must've been the root of all of this. They're a lot stronger than those previous squids that Robin had to press his communicator to call the other Titans.

Robin dodged the alien's mechanical claw as he slammed his Bo-staff on its armoured head. It did minimal damaged that Robin had to scowl as he fiercely asked it, "What are you doing here?"

The alien he was fighting immediately stopped. The other one, who held Starfire captive, reached for his torso and pulled off its chest armour only to reveal a black and gold badge.

"We are the Centaury Police whose duty is to bring back this Tamaranean thief."

The other Titans were quick to arrive at the roof that they heard every single thing the police said. Some were baffled at the statement those aliens aforementioned, Starfire wasn't a thief. Plus, they'd been around her every single day for her to steal something.

"This thief had committed the worst crime throughout the entire Centaury system." It said blandly while accusingly pointing at Starfire. Both were ready to leave, waiting for the ship.

"But, I have never been to Centaury…" Starfire solemnly whispered as she gazed at Robin's masked eyes. She wished for him to believe her.

Realization dawned on Robin as he scrutinized Starfire's rigid form. He knew that she hadn't been to the Centaury but he knew someone who has. That green moon diamond was from Blackfire, and that said diamond was from the Centaury Moons. Those police had been chasing the wrong girl.

Anger filled Robin's frame as he advanced at Starfire, "No, but I know someone who has." Pulling off the diamond on Starfire's neck, Robin received nothing but wide eyes and gasps coming from the Titans. The Centaury Polices could only narrow their eyes at the diamond Robin held.

"Where's Blackfire?" Robin asked as he threw the diamond at the police's waiting hands.

"Up there." Starfire snapped, her eyes glowing bright green as she wasted no time and took off after Blackfire. Robin knew that this was Starfire's fight, he won't intervene unless their fight got carried away.

Her heart was empty apart from righteous fury. Ever since they were little, she believed everything her sister said. Although it pained Starfire to admit that she was indeed weaker than Blackfire that did not stop her from idolizing her sister. All of Blackfire's prowess strength and astounding skills made her look pathetic in front of the many but Starfire wouldn't care because she had, or rather, thought something others don't.

_A sister who would protect me… _

To be betrayed was the worst thing one could ever experience, but to be betrayed by the one you called family was worse.

'_I always was the better one.' _

Starfire's speed dramatically increased that she reached Blackfire in record time, but she was not fast enough to evade Blackfire's blackbolt. Too angry to shed some tears at the pain she felt, Starfire's eyes glowed brighter as she immediately regained her ground and unleashed her volley of starbolts at her sister.

"You are a criminal." Starfire said, dodging a fist coming from Blackfire, "I need to turn you over to the Centaury Police." With that said, Starfire drew upon her power creating an intense starbolt on her fist. Screaming, without any ounce of hesitation, she fired it hitting her sister's chest dead on as Blackfire lost control of her flight making her impact harshly on ground.

Once the smoke was cleared, a singed Blackfire who was breathing quite heavily was assaulted with a green elastic rope making her escape impossible. All her moves and blackbolts have no effect on the rope as she struggled futilely.

The Centaury Police approached her with caution and announced, "Blackfire of Tamaran, you are under arrest."

Starfire won. She could not believe her eyes when she saw her sister beaten to the ground, struggling to get free from that elastic rope that the police held. While Blackfire did betrayed and used Starfire, she was still family no matter what she did.

Solemly gazing at her sister, Starfire softly smiled, "Friend Danny was right, 'no one's perfect'. Farewell dear sister."

Growling in response, Black could do nothing but to scream insults at her sister while being carried away, "I'll be back. I'll get even!"

Sighing, Starfire watched the ship her sister was in as it flew from the earth's atmosphere. She was, to some extent, thankful with her conversation with Danny. His words somewhat served as a wake-up call that perfection can never be attained. There would always be flaws in everything.

* * *

**Hallo. ^^**

******My grammar is not that good, I'm so sorry for that. I'm a lousy author who wouldn't proof read it because... meh, for no reason, I just don't feel like it :)**

**You might have been wondering why I'm updating this early... haha! Well, I'd like to thank my beautiful cousin for helping me create this chapter and I'd also like to thank my sweet dear bestfriend who hacked my laptop and decided to edit and finish this. Haha~**

**Btw, I've just noticed! OMG! 5000+ I can't believe it! *dead***

**Tho' I have something else to say. I know that in episode 2 where in Starfire got chased by those squid-thingy aliens, her starbolts have no effect on them. Meh... I'm not having any of that. Plus this is fanfiction ^^ anything can happen. **

**Ehh... Also, I don't really know a thing about this Fourth of July event seeing that I'm not American (In all honesty, I don't even know if it's an American Independence Day. Forgive me.) **

**And... Another thing. I not sure whether Danny likes cats or not but I decided to make him neutral when it comes to dogs and cats. **_I'm afraid of cats, I'm so sorry..._

******Oh, there's one more thing I'd like to say \OuO/ I would like to thank all those who reviewed and enjoyed this story of mine so far. Hehe~ May your dreams be blessed with rainbow unicorns and candies.**


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